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A Simple Twist of Fate: Bob Dylan and the Making of Blood on the Tracks
"So fascinatingly behind-the-scenes that it will make you listen to the album as if you've never heard it before."--EsquireIn 1974 Bob Dylan wrote, recorded, reconsidered, and then re-recorded the best-selling studio album of his career. Blood on the Tracks was composed as Dylan's twelve-year marriage began to unravel, and songs like "Tangled Up in Blue" and "Shelter from the Storm" have become templates for multidimensional, adult songs of love and loss. Yet the story behind the creation of this album has never been fully told; even the credits on the present-day album sleeve are inaccurate. Dylan recorded the album twice-once in New York City and again in Minneapolis, with a rag-tag gang of local musicians, quickly rewriting many of the songs in the process. For A Simple Twist of Fate, the authors have interviewed the musicians and producers, industry insiders, and others, creating an engaging chronicle of how one musician channeled his pain and confusion into great art.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
April 25, 2016
Uneven but fascinating account of Dylan's recording of Blood on the Tracks. Personally, Blood on the Tracks is my first and favorite Dylan album. When it was issued, I was probably a second (or third) wave listener to Dylan. I was in high school at the time, and my main "listens" were the Stones, the Who, and the Beatles (all good stuff). But I had never encountered songs with lyrics this deep before, even if I only scratched the surface of what would prove to be Dylan's most painful and personal album. (Also, at the time, NBC, amazingly ran a concert piece from the Rolling Thunder Revue. I can't recall if it was live or not.) Anyway, I was hooked. For life. And that includes that bad albums (Knocked Out Loaded, Down in the Groove), because even the bad ones always had a few cuts that worth listening to -- repeatedly.
Authors Gill and Odegard recreated a lot of this period for me, and if you didn't live through this time, they provide a clunky pause or two to get you caught up with Nixon, the music scene, and Dylan. Then they get down into the weeds as far as the songs (and their composition). I'm not a musician, so a lot of that stuff just flew by me, but the song analysis is excellent. You also get a lot of Bob-in-the-studio. He generally comes across as a good guy, with only a few asshole moments. What I did not know was the BOT was recorded in New York with Eric Weissberg's "Deliverance" band, and then five songs were rerecorded in Minneapolis with local (and excellent) musicians that Dylan's brother, David, was able to pull together. The original New York versions are quite good, but the re-dos are better. (Especially so when it comes to "Idiot Wind.") Interestingly, Gill writes about how Dylan, while on his Rolling Thunder tour, changed a line in "Idiot Wind" signaling a growing anger that was seeping outside the original lyrics. "Visions of your chesnut mare" becomes the harsh "visions of your smoking tongue." (You can hear this on the live Hard Rain.) Gill indicates that at this point in the tour Dylan was often drunk, and frequently whoring.
What is really nice about the book is how the authors give voice to the various session musicians. Their thoughts -- then and now -- are often surprising. For some, who are experienced pros, it's just a gig, for others (especially the Minneapolis crew), it's the chance of a lifetime. One member would actually be offered (by Dylan himself) a slot on his upcoming tour. He turned it down! (He would go on to have a very successful career with Disney.) Some of them are bitter. This is at least partially understandable since the Minneapolis group was never acknowledged on the record sleeve (they were told they would be). This seems fixable, even now, though some wave it away saying that it's a detail that the artist doesn't care about, and that the record people didn't follow-up on. That sounds weak, and as one wife of a musician points out: that's on Dylan. He needs to make it right, because these guys helped to make a very special album.
Authors Gill and Odegard recreated a lot of this period for me, and if you didn't live through this time, they provide a clunky pause or two to get you caught up with Nixon, the music scene, and Dylan. Then they get down into the weeds as far as the songs (and their composition). I'm not a musician, so a lot of that stuff just flew by me, but the song analysis is excellent. You also get a lot of Bob-in-the-studio. He generally comes across as a good guy, with only a few asshole moments. What I did not know was the BOT was recorded in New York with Eric Weissberg's "Deliverance" band, and then five songs were rerecorded in Minneapolis with local (and excellent) musicians that Dylan's brother, David, was able to pull together. The original New York versions are quite good, but the re-dos are better. (Especially so when it comes to "Idiot Wind.") Interestingly, Gill writes about how Dylan, while on his Rolling Thunder tour, changed a line in "Idiot Wind" signaling a growing anger that was seeping outside the original lyrics. "Visions of your chesnut mare" becomes the harsh "visions of your smoking tongue." (You can hear this on the live Hard Rain.) Gill indicates that at this point in the tour Dylan was often drunk, and frequently whoring.
What is really nice about the book is how the authors give voice to the various session musicians. Their thoughts -- then and now -- are often surprising. For some, who are experienced pros, it's just a gig, for others (especially the Minneapolis crew), it's the chance of a lifetime. One member would actually be offered (by Dylan himself) a slot on his upcoming tour. He turned it down! (He would go on to have a very successful career with Disney.) Some of them are bitter. This is at least partially understandable since the Minneapolis group was never acknowledged on the record sleeve (they were told they would be). This seems fixable, even now, though some wave it away saying that it's a detail that the artist doesn't care about, and that the record people didn't follow-up on. That sounds weak, and as one wife of a musician points out: that's on Dylan. He needs to make it right, because these guys helped to make a very special album.
February 14, 2019
I found A Simple Twist of Fate to be a fascinating book about a fascinating album. Incidentally, it is one of my favorites, which definitely drove my interest in the first place. Written by an experience music journalist and one of the players who contributed to the album, it features numerous interviews with the musicians and engineers involved in the album's recording, offering a ton of great details. The book has helped me listen to the songs more intently. Some of the technical details went over my head (I am not all that interested in the characteristics of different microphones) but the story telling more than made up for that.
September 3, 2018
This could have been a Rolling Stone article. A lot of padding was added to make it book length, including discourses on the state of the country and music in the early '70s. Plus, multi-paragraph quotes from the musicians (and their spouses!) that could have been summarized instead of copied and pasted.
Nevertheless, there were enough interesting bits to make it worth a read:
The stories of Dylan's brusque dealings with the original New York musicians.
As someone who lives an hour west of Ashtabula, I've always wondered how he came up with that place name in You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go. Turns out it was the birthplace of Ellen Bernstein of Columbia Records, with whom he had a relationship in 1974.
Nevertheless, there were enough interesting bits to make it worth a read:
The stories of Dylan's brusque dealings with the original New York musicians.
As someone who lives an hour west of Ashtabula, I've always wondered how he came up with that place name in You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go. Turns out it was the birthplace of Ellen Bernstein of Columbia Records, with whom he had a relationship in 1974.
August 6, 2013
Does not hang together as a book at all. I disagreed with at least 3 of the authors' huge generalizations about the music industry/community right from the first chapter. Then they go on to *not* focus on what they said they were going to describe, the background of Bob's personal relationships and how they were revealed various songs. I really didn't learn anything new from the "interpretations" here and the rest of the recording information was only mildly interesting. If you're a Dylan fan, you already know he's a jerk, and if you're not, you probably won't care enough to read this.
March 26, 2009
Well researched. I have read more Dylan-based books than I'd like to admit but this one keeps it real. Not much of the usual star-fucking pandering prose. Mostly just the story from the session musicians who played on both the New York version and Minneapolis version of the record. Overall, a nice account without any real insight into Dylan's head. If you want that, just listen to all of his songs a couple hundred times each. Then try to forget 'em.
January 16, 2023
This is essentially a must-read if you’re like me and consider “Blood on the Tracks” Dylan’s best album. It’s also one of my favorite albums by anyone, period. It’s an interesting story, and I loved hearing about the initial New York sessions and how many of the songs were re-recorded in Minneapolis a few months later with all-new (and relatively unknown) musicians. The musicians, producers and engineers from both sessions are all quoted in this book, and it’s a fascinating peek into the art and mechanics of making an album. The famously reclusive Dylan is – of course – not quoted or interviewed at all, and his mystique and oddball studio behavior is often humorously recounted here. Told chronologically, the book is a rather slim affair (212 pages, not including appendices), and it’s largely padded near the end with quotes from reviewers and mentions of the album’s critical accolades. There's also a ton of (necessary) backstory in the beginning about Dylan's personal and professional life in the years leading up the the making of the album. Overall, it’s an entertaining read (especially if you’re a fan of the album), but it probably would’ve worked better as an entry in the 33 1/3 album series.
February 29, 2020
Interesting to the point of Andy Gill's (doubt that co-writer and participating musician in the Minneapolis sessions, Kevin Odegard would have added much to this section) analysis of the songs, which almost caused me to drop the rest of the book . . . however I pressed on through this tedium to useful musical and technical information. It's nice to hear how other artists, especially one as enigmatic and paradoxically well known as Dylan, approach the physical creation of the medium within their work. Chronicling Blood On The Tracks, one of his most successful studio albums, the book covers participants largely uncredited in the official album releases, their memoirs, subsequent activities and comments, including, Bob's brother, David Zimmerman.
November 12, 2015
This book is a fantastic look into one great album. I really like the subject, the way that it's not a biography but just a really focused look at one period, one effort, one album.
That said, somehow, the weakest part of this book is when the author actually gets around to explicating the songs. Everybody hears things differently, but some of the conclusions about the meanings of the songs are impossible for me to understand or agree with. Still, it's a great book.
That said, somehow, the weakest part of this book is when the author actually gets around to explicating the songs. Everybody hears things differently, but some of the conclusions about the meanings of the songs are impossible for me to understand or agree with. Still, it's a great book.
January 8, 2014
First 2/3 of the book was pretty good. I learned some things about how recording sessions are put together and produced, and about Dylan's writing process. And I gained new understanding and appreciation of the complexity of these simple acoustic songs. But the writing was mediocre, and the last part of the book was like reading an endless album jacket analyzing the "meaning" of these songs, which I think speak for themselves.
June 14, 2013
A history of a particular album-- Dylan's epic Blood on the Tracks. The musical analysis isn't very impressive, but the insider stories and history of how Dylan made the album makes the book worth reading. Pleasant and brief, which actually renders it preferable to a lot of the "academic" Dylan books out there.
January 20, 2016
I really enjoyed reading about the recording sessions in NY and the subsequent sessions in Minnesota. The book provides a glimpse into the process from the other musicians' point of view. There are plenty of great side stories about other musicians and things along the way that keep in interesting. It goes by quickly.
May 11, 2007
a pretty detailed account of an interesting period in Dylan's life. Includes a lot of narrative of studio sessions and musician reactions and interactions during the recording. i mean, i pretty much read it cuz i love dylan. i found it interesting.
January 16, 2008
For fans only...is that obvious? I happen to get overwhelmed sometimes with a need to delve deeper into Dylan's work and this was an interesting bunch of information that helped to further contextualize one of my favorite albums.
July 8, 2008
A detailed account about the making of Dylan's great album, 'Blood on the Tracks.' Not only do the authors write about the making of the record, but also Dylan's life at that time. A very interesting read.
June 17, 2017
Fascinating account of the sessions for Blood On The Tracks.
June 13, 2019
Read this on Miami Beach. It will always smell like Miami Beach.
August 23, 2019
That book was definitely terrific.
February 4, 2020
This was the third pop book I read in a row, following the chicly-titled 'It gets me home, this curving track' and the grandiose-reference-titled but very humdrum 'Nothing is real', by Ian Penman and David Hepworth respectively. In the curt language of the Goodreads stars, three and two, respectively.
Also, I'm generally glutted with Dylan lore, as a lifelong addict with no hope (or desire) for a cure, so I had only the mildest appetite for this when I picked it up, attracted by the co-author credit for Kevin Odegard, one of the 'unknown' musicians who played on 'Blood on the tracks'. The lure of obscure inside stories piqued my wearied palate, just a tiny bit.
Anyway, blah.
It starts off unpromisingly, I feel: the prose is a bit hackneyed, and in fact the first chapter or two is/are frankle mediocre. Evidence: the first line of Chapter 2 is: "By 1974, the dream was over." That's stylistically representative - the content may be accurate but the expression is stale.
But it picks up smoothly, and before you notice it you (if you're me) are entirely drawn in. The central chunk of the book arranges reminiscences from the musicians, producers and others - most of them, pleasingly, not household names at all - who were involved in the two phases of making this brilliant record. It's lively and engaging, and moving and dramatic. It moves, as Bob did, from autumn in New York City to Christmas in chilly Minneapolis. It all happened, recording-wise, over a period of a few days in September and a couple of days in December '74; and all involved apparently (I would say plausibly) have remembered it vividly ever since.
It's worth mentioning that several of those quoted extensively are not members of the Church of Dylan by any means. Sure, heretics and doomed to hellfire, but their undevoutness makes them all the more interesting participant-witnesses.
More generally, there's a lot of interesting, relevant background colour about Dylan's life and milieu at the time, much of it fresh (to me).
Then there's a long chapter that mixes the composite author's view of each song with contemporary critical responses. The latter, at least, are fascinating too, even if I don't especially care what Andy Gill thinks about 'Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts' (suffice to say he's wrong [wink-emoji]).
The last chapter brings us up to date (or at least, up to thirty years after the date of recording), and is a kind of coup de theatre, inasmuch as everything up to that point had been pretty adulatory, and abruptly this isn't, at all. It's fair to say that it provides a salutary balance to the generally near-worshipful vibe, and from the same cast of characters, which makes it the more striking.
If you dig Bob, you really should read this.
Also, I'm generally glutted with Dylan lore, as a lifelong addict with no hope (or desire) for a cure, so I had only the mildest appetite for this when I picked it up, attracted by the co-author credit for Kevin Odegard, one of the 'unknown' musicians who played on 'Blood on the tracks'. The lure of obscure inside stories piqued my wearied palate, just a tiny bit.
Anyway, blah.
It starts off unpromisingly, I feel: the prose is a bit hackneyed, and in fact the first chapter or two is/are frankle mediocre. Evidence: the first line of Chapter 2 is: "By 1974, the dream was over." That's stylistically representative - the content may be accurate but the expression is stale.
But it picks up smoothly, and before you notice it you (if you're me) are entirely drawn in. The central chunk of the book arranges reminiscences from the musicians, producers and others - most of them, pleasingly, not household names at all - who were involved in the two phases of making this brilliant record. It's lively and engaging, and moving and dramatic. It moves, as Bob did, from autumn in New York City to Christmas in chilly Minneapolis. It all happened, recording-wise, over a period of a few days in September and a couple of days in December '74; and all involved apparently (I would say plausibly) have remembered it vividly ever since.
It's worth mentioning that several of those quoted extensively are not members of the Church of Dylan by any means. Sure, heretics and doomed to hellfire, but their undevoutness makes them all the more interesting participant-witnesses.
More generally, there's a lot of interesting, relevant background colour about Dylan's life and milieu at the time, much of it fresh (to me).
Then there's a long chapter that mixes the composite author's view of each song with contemporary critical responses. The latter, at least, are fascinating too, even if I don't especially care what Andy Gill thinks about 'Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts' (suffice to say he's wrong [wink-emoji]).
The last chapter brings us up to date (or at least, up to thirty years after the date of recording), and is a kind of coup de theatre, inasmuch as everything up to that point had been pretty adulatory, and abruptly this isn't, at all. It's fair to say that it provides a salutary balance to the generally near-worshipful vibe, and from the same cast of characters, which makes it the more striking.
If you dig Bob, you really should read this.
October 15, 2021
A book offering great insights into Dylan the musician, the man whose marriage is breaking up and the way he transmuted his pain into an album that typically is high on any list of the best albums of the 1970s or all time. When he finds that his initial recordings of his songs lack something, Dylan leaves New York to travel home to Minnesota, where his brother David, who is familiar with Minneapolis musicians because of his work as a producer of advertising jingles, offers him five musicians to work with. As with the book mentioned above, "That Thin Wild Mercury Sound," this book is a must for all committed Dylan fans who want to know about "Blood on the Tracks," how the sessions came together, and how it turns out that the Minnesota musicians never receive written credits for their contribution to the album.
This book makes it clear that Dylan could have offered them credits, residuals, and gold records but simply never bothered to do so. That's not a good reflection on him. But the musicians themselves are resigned to their relative anonymity (some have left music altogether); however, they have fond and vivid memories of watching Dylan sing "Idiot Wind" and "Tangled Up in Blue," two of the album's highlights.
This book makes it clear that Dylan could have offered them credits, residuals, and gold records but simply never bothered to do so. That's not a good reflection on him. But the musicians themselves are resigned to their relative anonymity (some have left music altogether); however, they have fond and vivid memories of watching Dylan sing "Idiot Wind" and "Tangled Up in Blue," two of the album's highlights.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 19, 2023
This was a real letdown. A slog. A journey through quicksand.
I was looking forward to hearing what Dylan himself had to say about his masterpiece, but it's clear he didn't participate at all in the process. The few Dylan quotes in the book are culled from other sources, including various liner notes and interviews.
What I was left with was mostly a lot of technical jargon and a lesson in how musical sausage is made. If you get off on reading about overdubs, remixes, B-3 organs and U87 mikes, you're in for a treat. If you're more like me, it reminded me of the many science lectures I slept through in high school and college. Wah, wah, wah, wah, wah....
Sure, there are some gems hidden at the bottom of this ocean -- a few interesting anecdotes here and there -- but you have to dive very deep into the seaweed to find them.
By the way, I'm a Dylan fan and "Blood on the Tracks" is one of the greatest albums of all-time.
I was looking forward to hearing what Dylan himself had to say about his masterpiece, but it's clear he didn't participate at all in the process. The few Dylan quotes in the book are culled from other sources, including various liner notes and interviews.
What I was left with was mostly a lot of technical jargon and a lesson in how musical sausage is made. If you get off on reading about overdubs, remixes, B-3 organs and U87 mikes, you're in for a treat. If you're more like me, it reminded me of the many science lectures I slept through in high school and college. Wah, wah, wah, wah, wah....
Sure, there are some gems hidden at the bottom of this ocean -- a few interesting anecdotes here and there -- but you have to dive very deep into the seaweed to find them.
By the way, I'm a Dylan fan and "Blood on the Tracks" is one of the greatest albums of all-time.
March 27, 2018
I really enjoyed the guts of this book - the studio stories and technical details of making the record, both in New York and Minneapolis. I liked the stories behind the guitars used in Minneapolis and the energy in the studio there. I was definitely interested in the microphone used in the session and the book enriched my listening to album. The long, verse by verse analysis of every song on the record was tedious and too much criticism and supposition to enjoy. I've never needed to know every excruciating detail of what a Dylan song means. Part of the cool is that we can all have our own experience of it without dissecting it.
Also, I get that the Minneapolis band feels hard done by, and according to this telling, they sure were. Maybe a little too much time was spent on that, but since one of the authors was one of the studio guys I guess I understand it.
Also, I get that the Minneapolis band feels hard done by, and according to this telling, they sure were. Maybe a little too much time was spent on that, but since one of the authors was one of the studio guys I guess I understand it.
March 1, 2023
To be clear, you probably need to be a Dylan fan to appreciate this book fully. And if you are, the book is a real treat. For such fans, there are details about how Dylan presented the albums tracks, how recordings occurred, and Dylan's process. There is also a track-by-track analysis of lyrics, including the context of his life prior to and during the recordings. There are also clues about bootleg versions and many other juicy details.
In addition for the non-Dylan fans, the book is an inside look at the dynamics of record making and musician interactions. For recording aficionados, there are details to the details about microphone types, arrangement of mics and instruments, and more.
In addition for the non-Dylan fans, the book is an inside look at the dynamics of record making and musician interactions. For recording aficionados, there are details to the details about microphone types, arrangement of mics and instruments, and more.
February 2, 2024
Living here in Minnesota, I had always been vaguely aware of the "last-minute" contributions of Twin Cities musicians to Dylan's "Blood on the Tracks" album. This book filled in a lot of the details, and is a nice tribute to the local guys who stepped in and helped Dylan create a masterpiece. Having said that, the exhaustive list of recording equipment and studio techniques are probably of interest only to studio nerds. More interesting was the reaction, years later, of both the Minneapolis and New York musicians, several of whom seemed less than satisfied with the way they were treated by Dylan and his management. Despite its faults, this is a worthwhile book, especially considering the giant-sized reputation "Blood on the Tracks" has acquired.
June 26, 2024
A Simple Twist of Fate is a solid deep-dive into one of Dylan's best and most enduring records. The authors guide a fascinating behind-the-scenes tour of the recording of Blood on the Tracks, filled with interviews and anecdotes. I wasn't particularly keen on some of the editorial passages--the knocking of Nashville Skyline and double live albums stand out in particular. Also, the track-by-track review feels a little fanboy at times. Overall, these are minor nits to pick in what is a well-executed, interesting book. To paraphrase one of the cover blurbs, this is a must for any Bob Dylan afficianado.
December 30, 2019
A pretty Interesting read about one of the best Albums (remember those?) ever made. It's definitely a look back at a time when things were different than they are now. Maybe when the measure of success was not dollar driven but more about what an artist had to say. I know some people think Dylan is overrated or just been around too dam long but I will always consider him to be one of the greats! so interesting! If you are a Dylan fan it would be hard to imagine you don't know every word to this, his best album. If you see her say hello, she might be in Tangiers!
September 27, 2021
Honestly, just seems like a magazine article stretched into book format. And the author has some really weird axes to grind with everything from prog rock to hip hop to Dylan himself. Too much time spent on whether or not Dylan was an asshole to the studio musicians, and not enough on the sessions themselves.
March 19, 2023
Very interesting in its collection of interviews of participants in the making of this landmark record, but falls a little short in the author's own writings, interpretations, and analyses, which are somewhat pedestrian and cliche. Still, for the interviews alone, it stands up as essential research regarding Dylan's fitful journey in the making of this album.
May 5, 2017
The authors make a cogent argument that the album "Blood on the Tracks" deserves to be included with Dylan's very best outpourings. Great background information. Leaves you with wanting to know more and re-listen again and again.
December 12, 2018
Great blow-by-blow account of the creation of BOTT, one of the best albums of all time. I could have done without the heavy-handed analysis of social and political trends leading up to 1974, I wanna know about the music, not the authors' opinions on US and world affairs.
November 21, 2020
Excellent look into the making of this most classic Dylan album--Blood on the Tracks
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews